The world continues to bear silent witness to the genocide in Gaza. Even though the death toll has now passed 51,000, with over 100,000 injured and millions displaced, no countries have taken any meaningful action against Israel. Though the US and Germany stand out for their almost blind support of Israeli atrocities, several other democratic states that claim to value human rights have also done little more than pay lip service to the issue.
While a handful of Latin, South American, and African countries have withdrawn their diplomats, none of the countries that Israel actually cares about has made any effort to sanction the State of Israel or any of its political or military leaders.
In fact, several countries have rejected or criticised South Africa for pursuing a case against Israel in the ICJ. While former US President Joe Biden’s administration used whataboutism regarding violence by Hamas to justify its refusal to condemn violence by Israel, the Trump administration has gone all-in, with President Donald Trump repeatedly calling for ethnic cleansing in Gaza, with zero condemnation from his allies, and even most of his rivals.
But beyond the bombs and bullets, even Israel’s weaponisation of starvation has generated little more than a peep. At least a dozen major humanitarian organisations are begging Israel to end its aid blockade, but not a single Western country capable of threatening Israeli interests has gone beyond finger-wagging. Intentionally starving millions of people is a war crime.
Those enabling it, from Washington to Brussels, are accomplices. If this was happening in most other countries in the world, a US-backed coalition would have deposed the government by now. Instead, even after the ICJ ruled that Israeli actions in Gaza plausibly constitute genocide, weapons sales continue unabated, and the US has gone as far as sanctioning the ICJ and threatening its lawyers and officials, along with the government of South Africa.
With the US beyond redemption and Europe divided, the only certainty is that Palestinians will continue to die unnecessarily.
#Gaza #aid #blockade
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